BREAKING: Teen suspect is arrested in shooting that killed six people, including a pregnant woman and her unborn child, in their Indianapolis home
A teenage suspect has been arrested in a 'mass murder' which left six people dead, including a woman who was eight months pregnant, at a home in Indianapolis.
The victims were found dead of apparent gunshot wounds at a home on Adams Street early Sunday morning.
They were identified as mother Kezzie Childs, 42, father Raymond Childs Jr, 42, their 18-year-old son Elijah, 13-year-old daughter Rita, and 19-year-old Kiara Hawkins, who died along with her unborn baby boy.
A seventh victim, described by police as a teenage boy, suffered gunshot wounds and was hospitalized in critical condition. He is expected to survived.
On Monday morning Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Randal Taylor announced that a juvenile had been arrested. He did not provide further information about the suspect but said investigators believe they acted alone. Police had previously said multiple suspects could have been involved.
'Yesterday, we promised swift justice for this heinous act. Today, we delivered on that promise,' Taylor said. 'While removing the alleged perpetrator of yesterday's mass murder from our neighborhoods does not bring back the lives senselessly lost, hopefully, it will bring us one step closer to healing as a community.
'I am grateful to all of the IMPD officers and criminal justice partners who have worked tirelessly for the last 30 plus hours to bring justice for these victims, their friends and families, and our entire community.'
Mother Kezzie Childs, 42, (pictured) was among the six people shot dead at a home in Indianapolis early Sunday morning. Police arrested a teenage suspect on Monday
Kezzie Childs is pictured with her 13-year-old daughter Rita (right), who was also killed
Raymond Childs, 42, (right) and Elijah Childs, 18, (left) were also killed in the Sunday shooting
Police are pictured at the scene of the mass shooting on Sunday
As police search for a possible motive, several neighbors have come forward to share their shock and disbelief over the horrific killings.
'To take a whole family out like that…I just don't understand,' Vicki Pinkston, who lives across the street from the Childs' home, told WTHR.
'When I saw them take all the people out of there, I could not believe it. I just hope that they find who did this.'
Another neighbor, Rivon Allen-Bailey, said he heard four gunshots ring out early Sunday morning and ran to his window but didn't see anything.
'To take a whole family out like that…I just don't understand,' Vicki Pinkston, who lives across the street from the Childs' home, told WTHR (pictured)
Pinkston said learned about the shooting when police knocked on her door at about 5am and asked if she heard anything, which she hadn't.
She broke down in tears when she was informed that five people and an unborn child had been killed just a few yards away.
Pinkston said she'd recently stopped by the home where the killings took place to drop off some baby items for Hawkins, whom she said was due next month.
'I had just given them some stuff from my great-grandson when he was born, but he is bigger now,' she said.
Among those gathered at the scene on Sunday was District 9 City Councilman William Oliver (pictured). 'The shame they brought to the household, to our community is an ultimate disgrace,' he said
Pinkston described the family as 'so sweet' and recalled their cheery greetings.
'Oh lord, they say: "Hi, Miss, Vicki" all the time...' she told FOX59.
'Now I gotta look over there and not hear they say: "Hi Miss Vicki, how's your day going?"'
As she questioned how anyone would commit such an atrocity to such a kind family, Pinkston pointed her outrage at the person or people responsible.
'How you feel? How you feeling? How are you feeling about this?' she asked. 'It could've been yours; it could've been somebody in your family.'
Among those gathered at the scene on Sunday was District 9 City Councilman William Oliver, who lives about two minutes away from the 'act of mass murder'.
'The shame they brought to the household, to our community is an ultimate disgrace,' Oliver said of the perpetrator(s).
'If it was one person or five, I'm totally angry, hurt, and embarrassed.'
Neighbors and loved ones gathered at the scene to console each other on Sunday
The family were found shot dead in their home in the 3500 block of Adam Street, Indianapolis
Sgt Shane Foley of the IMPD said the fatal shootings were discovered by officers who were called at about 4am Sunday to investigate reports of a person shot on the city's near northeast side
The Childs' home on Adams Street is shown above
Sgt Shane Foley of the IMPD said the fatal shootings were discovered by officers who were called at about 4am Sunday to investigate reports of a person shot on the city's near northeast side.
When they arrived they discovered a juvenile male with gunshot wounds.
As officers were investigating that shooting, Foley said police received information that led them to a nearby home, where they found four adults and one child dead inside from apparent gunshot wounds.
One of the victims was Hawkins, who was taken to an area hospital and pronounced dead along with her unborn child despite life-saving efforts.
Foley said the juvenile initially found with gunshot wounds is expected to survive and police believe he was wounded in the shooting that left the others dead.
Chief Taylor initially said police believed the deadly shootings were not random, but were a targeted attack carried out by an assailant or assailants.
He said the shooting came days after police department officials had announced their latest efforts to combat violent, drug-related crimes and 'violence driven by poverty or desperation'.
'But what we saw this morning was a different kind of evil. What happened this morning, based on the evidence that's been gathered so far, was mass murder,' Taylor said at a news conference. 'More than that, we believe it was not random.'
Taylor said it was largest mass casualty shooting in the city in more than a decade, and urged the public to contact police and pass along any information they might have on the killings.
Mayor Joe Hogsett called the shootings 'mass murder,' and said that an individual or individuals had brought 'terror to our community.'
He said he had contacted officials with the FBI's Indianapolis field office, the local US Attorneys office and other law enforcement agencies for assistance in the shooting investigation.
'I want those responsible to know that the full might of local, state and federal law enforcement are coming for them as I speak,' Hogsett said.
The shooting came weeks after Indianapolis recorded its most violent year on record, with 244 homicides.
City officials have attributed the violence in part to poverty which was exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Mayor Joe Hogsett called the shootings 'mass murder,' and said that an individual or individuals had brought 'terror to our community'
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